Charlie — famed for playing wife-beating ex-squaddie ‘Big’ Jim McDonald in Corrie — was back on the cobbles last week as it celebrated half a century on the box with a series of specials.

But the former Shakespearean actor — who sensationally quit acting full-time in the soap in 2000 — was left out of the storyline that saw a tram explosion devastate Weatherfield and kill key characters.

Instead, Big Jim — whose Ulster catchphrase ‘so it is’ is now part of telly history — was laid up in hospital after taking a beating from a love-rival.